Question

You've been asked by your CIO to provide some additional information about OWASP SAMM to the application development team. The organization is interested in adopting a maturity model for application security. It's your job to tell them about what it is, why it's needed and how to generally make it actionable for the company.

Complete the following: Add a paragraph or two that generally describes SAMM, why it is used and how it can help with application security (see the SAMM Core or Quick Reference) Write 2 pages describing how the organization could implement SAMM to help promote application security. Use information from the SAMM Core to support your answer. NO GRAPHICS!!!
Worth 100 points: Due March 20 at 11:59 p. 30 points for the two paragraphs; 70 points for the 2-page narrative. Points are awarded for detail and actionable recommendations for implementing SAMM. Submissions that are suspect for use of ChatGPT or other AI will receive a 0 without the opportunity for redo and will result in an Academic Honesty Violation being submitted, so please just don't! You'll have the ability to resubmit the week after we get back from break (unless you receive a 0 for malfeasance, as described in the prior sentence).
Subject is : Coding Security

Answer 1

OWASP SAMM is a framework for improving software security, aligning practices with organizational objectives, and reducing risks of vulnerabilities. It helps to establish a baseline and create a roadmap for continual security improvement. Implementing SAMM involves assessing current practices, educating team members, setting goals, developing roadmaps, and regularly updating security measures.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding OWASP SAMM

The Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) developed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is an open framework to help organizations formulate and implement a strategy for software security that can be tailored to the specific risks facing the organization. Organizations use SAMM to create a balanced software security assurance program in areas such as education, threat assessment, testing, and incident management, among others. It offers a means to evaluate an organization's existing software security practices and incrementally improve them, benefiting from SAMM's comprehensive and measured approach to addressing software security.

SAMM provides a framework to identify the security needs specific to an organization's software development lifecycle (SDLC), leading to better quality and security in their software. It helps to reduce the risk of software vulnerabilities which can lead to security breaches by providing a structured approach to developing secure software.

Implementing OWASP SAMM

To implement SAMM within an organization, leaders can take the following actionable steps:

1. Assessment: Begin by assessing the current state of software security practices to establish a baseline. SAMM offers a self-assessment toolkit to gauge the current maturity level.
2. Educate Team Members: Ensure all development, operations, and security team members are educated on core security principles and SAMM's practices.
3. Define Security Goals: Use SAMM to align security activities with the organization's business objectives and risk tolerance.
4. Development of Roadmaps: Create incrementally achievable roadmaps that follow SAMM's guidance to improve software security maturity progressively.
5. Iterative Improvement: Regularly review and update practices, policies, and controls as part of a continuous improvement process.

Adopting SAMM is a commitment to evolving software security practices within an organization, reducing vulnerabilities and instilling a culture of security mindfulness within the application development process.